Rēweti Tūhorouta Kōhere

Rēweti Tūhorouta Kōhere (11 April 1871 – 9 August 1954) was a New Zealand Anglican clergyman, newspaper journalist and editor, farmer, writer, historian. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Ngāti Porou iwi.

Early life and education Kōhere was born in Orutua, East Coast, New Zealand on 11 April 1871. His parents were Hone Hiki Kōhere and Henerata Bristow (sometimes noted as Peretō), and his grandfather was Mōkena Kōhere. His brothers were Hēnare Kōhere and the Reverend Canon Poihipi Mōkena Kōhere of Tikitiki.

After early years of schooling at Māori schools on the East Coast, he became fluent in English when he attended Gisborne School from 1885 to 1887. He then attended Te Aute College, where he graduated as the Dux of the school and qualified for university by passing the matriculation examination in 1890. In 1899 he was appointed editor of the Anglican church newspaper Te Pipiwharauroa.

Literature Kōhere annually contributed to the Māori magazine Te Ao Hou / The New World during its early years. Since the publication was printed bilingually (Te Reo Māori and English), Kōhere submitted Ngāti Porou poetry with his own translations. One example is "Te Oriori a Hinekitawhiti mo tana Mokopuna mo Ahuahukiterangi/Hine-ki-tawhiti’s Oriori". The translation resulted in the poem possessing an ornate style comparable to Scots poet Burns and English poet Tennyson. Sir Āpirana Ngata, a contemporary of Kōhere, supplied his own translation of the oriori in Ngā Mōteatea: The Songs – Part I. Ngata mentions that his version opted to be, "faithful to the original Maori, thereby sacrificing the ornate to the literal." He also received a tribute in the "Haere ki o koutou tipuna" section, where his often uncredited involvement in the Young Māori Party was mentioned. The magazine would make continual references to the late writer in its subsequent issues, even years later, showing his impact on the readers and editors.

Kōhere's final years also saw him publish works incredibly important for the eponymous whanau: The Story of a Maori Chief; and, The Autobiography of a Maori.

Publications The story of a Maori chief, Mokena Kohere and his forebears (1949)

He Konae Aronui or Maori Proverbs and Sayings (1951). Nga kōrero a Reweti Kohere Mā, edited by Wiremu and Ohorere Kaa (1995).